The Things That We Do
by Namiooo
Summary: After the Ark of Yamato departs to the heavens, Oki finds himself back in Wep'keer. A thought on the trio post-game.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Ōkami belongs to Clover Studio and Capcom. I own only my imagination, and I doubt anyone wants it either.

* * *

The sun rose once more, peeking through the silhouette of the moon.

There was something to be said about Kamui in the warm afterglow of the volcanic eruption and the return of the sun, and the word would be beautiful. The snow was ever present, sucking in their feet as they stood, but the frigid death that loomed behind them was gone. Tuskle had taken Lika after the little girl chanted the incantation, no doubt to return her to Kai's tearful hugs, while Samickle stared into the distance, where the Ark of Yamato had disappeared into the heavens.

Oki sighed.

"Don't act like you're the only one who's exhausted," Samickle said, a hint of humor in his words. "I feel like I could sleep through the day."

Oki wondered if he spoke only to break the awkwardness that settled after the ark was gone. Well, he supposed not. Samickle had never been one for small talks. Perhaps he was starting to, now. The thought was terrifying.

"So could I," Oki replied at last. "The battle with Lechku and Nechku is tiring, even with the help of Amaterasu."

It was exhausting both to his body and mind. His wounds ached but the thrill had kept him up—and now, with everything settling down, so did his thoughts and realizations. And they were heavy, the epiphanies. The newly found understanding.

He had been cruel.

He knew the consequences of his taking of the Kutone—he knew that it protected Kamui, even if he thought that it did not do it well enough, and he knew that the villagers were dying of cold, and Chief Kemu from his wounds. He knew, and he regretted it now, with the haze of blood thirst gone from his mind.

He regretted the fact that he did not care about that just a few moments prior.

"You know, I never thought I'd see the day this lake would melt," Samickle said. "It was so ingrained with the legend it felt strange to imagine it anything but frozen. The demons… I hope they disappeared along with the ark. Though I do suppose this all explained the name of the lake."

And Samickle, well. He was a different topic.

After Samickle was chosen as the chief, his thoughts warped. _Samickle was not the one to sacrifice himself for Kemu. Samickle was not the one hurt for the good of the village. Why was he the one made the chief?_ He _was the protector._

He was the one who wielded Kutone.

But he had not stayed with the villagers when they needed his help to survive the winter, and his act of selfishly fighting for his own peace of mind did not save the village either. His thoughts hindered the sword's silver glow. His failure to save Lika immediately endangered both the girl and Kamui.

Would things be all right if he had just stayed in the village and kept a careful eye on Lika? If he asked for permission to wield Kutone? If he ceased to chase glory and followed his lost conscience? Would things change for the better?

Oki had no way to know, but he knew that the thoughts would linger until the day he died.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Huh?"

"You've been spacing off for quite some time. If you're that tired, you should have said so, you know. There's no need to fall asleep on your feet." Again with the humor. It was starting to scare him. Samickle did _not_ know how to joke, and this new development was nothing short of frightening.

But still, he nodded at Samickle's silent offer. His choice to wear summer clothing in the middle of the blizzard had not been the best idea he had, and not even the eruption warmed his skin from its numbed state. Even Samickle, in his full robe, seemed to be feeling the effects of the frigid storm. Although almost impossible to see, he was lightly trembling.

They left Laochi Lake, entrusting the sword to keep whatever evil away.

* * *

It was only upon the entrance of Wep'keer that Oki realized something: he no longer had a place in the village to call home. After taking Kutone, the villagers had basically disowned him, and although Samickle had accepted him back, he had no idea what they might have done to his home. And even if nothing happened, it would be some time before he could coax a fire to warm the room. He should head back to the outskirts, where he built his house, and stay there, at least until some sort of agreement was reached.

Samickle's voice stopped him. "Where are you going?"

Without realizing it, Oki had inched towards the direction of his house. Samickle stare was confused and really, how was he supposed to explain?

But Samickle proved to catch on quickly, as realization dawned on him and his stance straightened. "You don't need to go back to that house outside the village. You are welcome now, you're one of the tribe. And you can stay at my house for the time being—I owe it to Kai, but she stoked the fire there in my absence. Eruption or not, your place must be cold."

Oki hesitated. In one hand, he still remembered that he was not only a friend of Samickle, but also somewhat a rival. They had plenty of arguments and more than a few scuffles, and it wasn't like it was a secret that they competed for quite a lot of things. They both wanted to be the chief back then.

"I… All right."

"Hesitancy does not suit you, Oki," Samickle said, but he smiled as he led them back to his abode.

True to his word, the fire was up, though the lingering cold on the corners of the house suggested that it was recent. There was bowls of food, too, on the kotatsu, and Oki noted that it was enough for two—Kai anticipated his presence, and he did not know what to think of it. But Samickle didn't care, for he simply took off his boots and mask and made himself home, burying his legs under the thick quilt. Oki followed, manners subdued. His foot bumped onto a book and a scroll, but Samickle didn't seem to notice their presence under the kotatsu. Typical.

"Your house is rather cold," he finally said, taking his mask off. Samickle looked up, eyes rather blank, before he blinked and control returned.

"I simply haven't been home for quite some time. I'm sure that if left alone, this place would be colder than your house outside the village."

Oki raised an eyebrow. "But why?"

"I've been guarding the elder's house ever since he was injured. With all the demons prowling around, looking to end his life, I couldn't leave him for too long. Kai brought me food during that period, despite her worry for Lika. I owe her a lot."

"But…" Oki couldn't even fathom the thought. Outside, for so long? With that blizzard? He severely underestimated Samickle's abilities. And his stubbornness. Oki liked to think that they were interchangeable.

"Really, Oki," Samickle sighed. "Let's keep the conversations for later. I mean it when I said I was exhausted—your stupidity shattered the Affun Gate and I spent too much time trying to shut it. Now all I want to do is to sleep in a warm place, and nothing will keep me from doing so, not even your grating voice."

As if to prove his point, Samickle ate the last of his soup and stretched, joints popping. The yawn that escaped his lips triggered one from Oki, and something akin to a snort escaped Samickle's mouth. Oki finished his soup and piled their bowls, eyes starting to water.

With warmth starting to settle inside of him, he felt the weight crashing onto his shoulder, making him sag against the table. Samickle laughed, the sound heavy with sleep, and Oki barely managed to transform into a wolf before his eyelids closed. He heard rustles and light footsteps, but the solid, hot mass that settled beside him explained everything, and Oki snorted.

"Don't say a word," Samickle murmured, but he received no reply.

Oki fell asleep to the soft breaths of another.

* * *

A/N: Huge thanks to okamimythology. tumblr. com for providing in depth explanation to basically everything.

Lake Laochi: rayochi, meaning "rainbow".

I've been wanting to do a fic with these two- I simply love Samickle, enough to lurk around Pixiv and search the game's script for mentions of him. Yes, I am that desperate. But the latter act was the trigger of this fic. For one, it gave me slightly deeper understanding of him- a lot of people seemed to love or hate him based on his intro text, but the optional texts certainly cast him in better light. For one, I understood his aggressiveness in his intro scene: Wep'keer was not a safe place. Kemu was wounded, and they couldn't afford him being injured even more. His apprehension _should_ be present.

And if you talk to him in non-required scenes, he's pretty amiable. He gives you advices and seemed to worry for your safety. He attempted to shut the gates when it was broken. Rude to newcomers or not, he loves the village, and they love him.

But oh well.

(Also, this is not beta'd yet.)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Ōkami belongs to Clover Studio and Capcom.

* * *

Oki woke to a faint murmur outside and the scent of food. The voice was, without a doubt, Kai's, and apparently Samickle was telling the truth. After several moments of self debate, Kai eventually walked in, hesitant as she walked onto the other side of the table and placed two bowls.

Oki opened his eyes and made a small noise.

"Ah!" Kai took a step back. "Did I wake you up?"

"Sort of, " Oki said. His voice was rough with sleep, but it did not wake Samickle. He barely even stirred. "It's okay. And thank you for the food—it was delicious."

Kai's smile was something he missed, and he relished in it. "It's my pleasure. I didn't want to wake either of you, since you looked so tired, but it's almost noon and I thought you'd wake up hungry." Her eyes were warm. "Oh, and welcome back."

Oki turned back into human and sat up, lips curling into a hesitant smile. "Thank you."

Kai sat down and slid her legs under the kotatsu, elbows on the table and cheeks on her palms. "Do you want to know something?" Her words were light and tinted with humour, hushed as though she held a great secret. Oki raised his eyebrows and sipped his soup, but he did not say anything.

Kai went on. "I better tell you before Samickle wakes." Her finger twitched and Oki felt the subtle, almost nonexistent shift beside him. He grinned.

"He's as dead as a man who encountered a Namahage," he said, and Kai shook with her attempts to quiet the laughter building up. "You can say it now."

"Oh, but I don't want him to hear."

"A bit too late for that, don't you think?" Samickle's voice was coarse and slightly nasal, and Kai couldn't hold it any longer. Her laughter overshadowed his murmured grumbles and Oki ruffled his fur, avoiding his snapping jaw. "I can't feel my nose, and you're laughing at me."

Oki snickered.

"Anyways," he continued. "What is it you wanted to say, Kai?" Samickle stretched and transformed back into human, only for her to laugh even harder. Oki's snickers grew louder as he took in the ruffled hair and the feathers that got tangled in the mess, looking nothing short of embarrassing. Samickle stared at them as though they returned from the dead.

"It's nothing," she said at last, breathing heavy. "I should just let you eat. You don't do enough of that in the past few days."

Her words made Oki think of what happened in the time that he was gone. The village must have been in turmoil, with the impending icy death, and all the more reason to worry about old Kemu. Lika, too, was gone, and that must be even more things to weigh in Samickle's mind, as he was the new chief. Oki wouldn't be surprised if tugging on his hair would result in strands tangling his fingers. He had always been a thinker, as evidenced by his _strange_ love of reading.

Samickle sniffled and pulled food closer to him, ignoring Oki's smirks and Kai's presumed smile under her mask. It had been a while since the three of them laughed together. It had been too long, even. Oki missed this, even though he did not want to admit it—and clearly Samickle did not, too. He was proud like that. But then again, so was he.

The moment was broken, however, when someone called for Samickle. He stood up so fast he nearly flipped the kotatsu and he almost forgot to grab his mask before he stumbled over his boots, but the façade of calmness returned when he peeked outside. When he left, food forgotten, Kai sighed and collected the bowls, scent showing her sadness.

"He's been overworking himself," she murmured. "I want to help him, but there isn't much I can do besides this, you know? I offered to guard Kemu as he sleeps, but he refused, saying that my priority was Lika. Then she disappeared, and he was even harder on himself. He just doesn't show it, you know?"

Oki knew, almost too well even. Sometimes he felt like he knew Samickle more than anybody did. Well, perhaps except about his collection of books. Oki never cared much for that. When he was bored enough to ask him what he was reading, he got even more bored, listening to some long-winded tale about other lands and their folklores. Oki had learned his lesson.

"Anyway, the thing I wanted to tell you," she continued. "I know you probably won't feel welcome for quite a bit, but please don't leave again. It's going to get better, I just know it."

Oki furrowed his eyebrows. "I know that. But…"

"Samickle believed in you," she said, grabbing his hand. "I do, too. Lika loves you. I'm sure the chi—the elder will come back to his senses once Samickle speaks with him. You're a valuable part of this village, Oki, and with you and Samickle governing, I'm sure things would be so much better."

Samickle believed in him. Somehow that statement was strange. A part of him piped up, saying that it was probably just Kai's optimistic words, but another part offered an irrefutable argument. Samickle was the first to offer his hand. He had offered peace, without hesitation, although Oki had done little to deserve such. Samickle was not an easy man to persuade, being a person of logic, but if he _did_ change his mind, then there must be a reason to it. Perhaps Kai…

"I know what you're thinking," she said. "You thought I changed Samickle's mind, didn't you? Sadly, I don't possess such magical powers. He believed in you since the very beginning."

"It… Losing to a Namahage sounded more likely than that, but I'll take your word for it. But don't blame me if things go wrong."

She perked up instantly, letting go of his hand. "Oh, it won't! I feel _very_ safe to know that the village is in both your hands. Everyone always said that, you know. Sure, Samickle is doing very good, but having _both_ of you protecting the village would be splendid. No evil would dare to come close, not when you stir up worse chaos than they could hope to do."

"…Is that an insult to both of us?"

Kai giggled. "Maybe? Don't look at me like that—you two were a rowdy bunch. And you couldn't stop annoying him. And getting lost. And making a ruckus. And fighting."

"All right, all right, I got your point," Oki grumbled. "But those aren't just _my_ fault."

She patted his hand one last time before getting to her feet, and Oki wished they could talk for longer. It had been a while since he talked to somebody—at least for his standards. He _was_ fairly loud back then, back before the whole mess with Lechku and Nechku happened, before the villagers fell to the hands of the demons. He missed this—missed the lazy friendships, lounging around, trying to forget Lika braiding his and Samickle's hair, because they were longer than Kai's.

"I'll see you around," Kai said, and she left with the bowls and a bounce in her steps.

* * *

When Samickle didn't return after the sun was slipping to the horizon, Oki left the house and darted back to the house outside of Wep'keer. Children were outside, and some adults stared as he ran past, but he had one thing to do, and nothing could stop him from doing so. He was Oki.

Well, he was slightly less threatening without Kutone, but he _was_ still the strongest warrior in the village. Even if Samickle sometimes insulted his intelligence. One could not fight without being able to analyze the battlefield and using it to their advantage—and he could do all that. He wasn't stupid, he was just… illiterate.

He didn't like reading anyway.

Once he reached his house, he slipped inside and assessed the room. There was little to take—Oki did not bring many sentimental possessions—and the rest looked more like convenience. There were some meat, smoked to last the winter, and he grabbed it, along with some other things. His eyes wandered to something from the past but he turned away. No need to remind himself of what used to be, not now.

As for the rest… Should he take the place down? Perhaps. But he also saw some people from Nippon. He could ask them whether they had any place to stay—his house _was_ outside of Wep'keer, and unless a whole group arrived, a person or two would not harm the number of animals available to hunt. He should coax Samickle into agreeing.

One day. Samickle and Kai had accepted him back, but this was a decision that involved the whole village. He had to give them time. Although an excitable, generally liked child back then, he had done something unacceptable. This punishment was only fair.

Though really. All he had to do was mention stories from across the sea and Samickle surely would agree.

But he mentioned it to the child who fished nearby, anyway. A boy that young should not be outside in the cold with inappropriate clothing. Oki didn't know where the surge of goodwill came from, but he relished it anyway. His mask hid his grin at the boy's expression, and he returned to Wep'keer lighter, as if he was bound and now freed.

It was a feeling he never thought he'd feel again after the demons' attack.

Dropping the things back in Samickle's place was easy, though strange. But that was the last of his worries—most Oina didn't mind sharing houses, if only for warmth during winter—because Samickle wasn't back yet, and most villagers were settling down back inside. He could smell the food from here. Oki didn't know what kind of business he might have so late, but he wanted to check it out.

He found Samickle wandering around outside the village. "What are you doing?"

Samickle shot him a look—as good as he could, anyway, with bleary eyes. He was in wolf form and looked miserable. "Patrolling. There are several people from the south but so far they haven't done much. One is a kid. The other seems to be more preoccupied with his own problems. I do notice that you allowed the former to stay in your temporary house, however."

"He's just a kid. His singular existence won't do much to the village."

"I'm actually wondering why they're suddenly around. Kamui _has_ been known as the land where all originated, including evil. Combined with the cold, I'm surprised they aren't running back."

Oki shrugged. "Maybe they're looking for a change. Maybe they're just on a journey. Whatever they're doing, I'm fine so long as they're not depleting our resources."

Samickle hummed and continued his patrol, though Oki felt a discontent undertone in his reply. He knew Samickle shared his sentiments, though, but he did worry for the village a bit more. While Oki was more preoccupied with protecting the village from clear evil, Samickle always saw the subtler ones. Perhaps it was all the reading he did.

That was it: he was never going to read. Reading fueled paranoia.

"Why are you patrolling now, though?" Oki asked. He received a sigh in reply.

"…I just miss it." Samickle paused, and he could smell the faint wisp of embarrassment. "I'll be honest—during the attack from the demons, things were hard. Everyone were discontent. We didn't prepare for a winter this harsh, especially not when it was going to end. They, well, complained a lot, whether it's about you, or the cold, or the thinning food supply. Kai had been a blessing from the gods."

Gods. The word made him think of Amaterasu and Shiranui, and Issun's masterpiece painting that he stowed away. Samickle didn't know the things that transpired in the Wawku shrine or in the strange land of Nippon, somewhere beyond the Spirit Gate. Would things differ if he told him? Probably, probably not. But he wondered how he'd react once he found out that Oki's eyes were opened because of a legendary figure and not because of his own love for the village. Would it change his perception?

"It's nice to remind myself the reason why I accepted the mantle of being a chief."

"To best me?" Oki smirked. Samickle snorted and attempted to nip his ear—an effort thwarted by Oki's maneuver, who moved back and hopped to his other side. "What? You totally can't do it in battle."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said."

"Don't be such a spoilsport. What were you going to say?" They were in the far side of the village—their voices wouldn't carry. He knew that it would be important for Samickle. He cared a lot for the tribe, always had, and Oki felt rather honored to hear his confession. Samickle had never been one to express his deeper feelings. Annoyance, he showed plenty, but the thoughtful contemplation, the larger problems were only voiced when he felt adequately comfortable.

"It's just… starting in the middle of a terrible crisis didn't allow for much adjustments, you know? The first thing—and so far the only thing—I did was tell everyone to not let anyone in. That's all. I spent the rest of my time taking care of Kemu."

"By standing outside for days." Reminded of his illness, Samickle sniffled.

"It's important. Anyway, I had the title for a couple of days and I already started questioning myself. Should I have told them to gather food in the first few days, before the storm got worse? Or told them to gather more wood, so their fires could be larger? Things like that. It almost sounded trivial in words, but it _does_ determine the outcome."

Oki mulled over his words. Those were things he didn't think of much when he thought about becoming a chief. As far as he knew, chiefs did things like ward off evil, chant the Incantation, protect the village from evils outside. He never considered the evils _within._

Now he was starting to understand why Kemu chose Samickle instead.

"And having those problems and no way to resolve them was frustrating. I couldn't leave Kemu, but sometimes a voice piped up, like _he is one of many—the villagers should be more important by number_ and _if I don't take a risk, everyone might die_, but if I do, they could still die anyway. If Kemu died and Lika was not found, gathering all the food in the world and chopping all the trees won't help them. The I realized that this would be the _norm_."

Samickle shivered, and Oki doubted that it was his cold. They had stopped walking, although the other didn't notice it, too busy with his own thoughts and words. "So I'm just trying to… I'm just trying to remember that it's not just inevitable death."

They fell silent, and Samickle, realizing that they stopped, picked up their slow pace. Oki followed, and the soft crunch of snow under their feet filled the gaps their conversation left.

Kai had mentioned that Samickle was overworking himself, but it ran deeper than that. And he didn't anticipate it, not really—it was the first time that Samickle was honest and straightforward in regards to his feelings, and Oki didn't know how to respond. This wasn't his forte—Oki couldn't help him much with it.

"You're doing good," he said at last. "You're already smart, so having your heart in the right place is already a step in the right direction. And, well… You have us."

Oki didn't have qualms with voicing his feelings, but Samickle always seemed to be someone as self-assured as he was. Although their approach to the world differed, Samickle was no less prone to pride than Oki. And, well, pride did need a foundation. He thought Samickle was just more reserved, and so chose to talk about his feelings less. With those thoughts, no wonder he spoke of it less.

But that was what... 'friends' are for, right? They- Samickle, Oki and Kai- stuck together for a long time. They knew each other's intricacies, learned how to read between the lines. But Oki felt like something changed. Something changed and they grew up, so now they have to relearn what they lost. He betrayed the village and Samickle faced the reality of a huge responsibility and Kai had to deal with the fact that people change- her best friends change- and they need to learn how to navigate again.

But they have time now. Oki realized what was important and the evil that plagued the land was gone and they had Lika to make sure winter didn't drag on for too long. The three of them were back together now. They had a lot of things in front of them, but there was _hope_, too.

Samickle didn't grace him with a reply.

* * *

A/N: The part where Oki mentions "dead as a man who encountered a Namahage" is a reference to its bestiary entry, which mentions:

"_If you cross paths with one, you should play dead."_

Also, if anyone's wondering, I'm taking the "Oki was rowdy" thing from the notes in Samickle's concept art. The concept arts can be found on the Okami wikia.

However, I'm not sure if Oki has a house in Wep'keer? The game doesn't seem to have comments if Ammy checks his house, so I'm not sure it exists.

I'm not sure how long this will be, but I want to deal with the change in their friendships. Samickle and Oki especially changed. When Kai mentioned that Samickle wouldn't admit his belief in Oki, I imagined that while he trusted him, he never really said or acted much on it. The fact that Samickle extended his hand showed that he grew up, shoved aside his reluctance to voice his approval.

It really does sound like a courageous thing to do, especially for someone like Samickle. As for Oki, he did have his priorities rearranged not too long ago. With that noted, I hope the conversation didn't look too out-of-the-blue.


End file.
